Posts Tagged ‘Brian Fuentes’

According to a number of sources, the Mets appear to be on the brink of signing Francisco Rodriguez. Per David Lennon of Newsday:

“The Mets appeared to be closing fast on a deal for Francisco Rodriguez late Monday night after another productive round of meetings with K-Rod’s agent, Paul Kinzer. The two sides made significant progress Sunday over dinner on the eve of the winter meetings, then took a giant step forward on Day One at the Bellagio.

Despite an opening offer of two years and roughly $24 million that included a vesting option for a third, the Mets and K-Rod are now prepared to agree on a three-year deal that should also be worth about $12 million per season. As one person familiar with the situation explained on Monday, the initial offer was part of a feeling-out process that would likely result in a three-year deal.

Kinzer told reporters here late Monday night that he was “optimistic” after his latest sitdown with the Mets, who should be thrilled to begin their holiday shopping with such a relative bargain. When this offseason began, Kinzer was hopeful that K-Rod would command a five-year, $75-million deal. But the market for closers was flooded this year and the Mets were able to better their negotiating stance by keeping Brian Fuentes, Trevor Hoffman and Kerry Wood in the mix, along with possible trades for J.J. Putz and Bobby Jenks.”

I appreciate the fact that the Mets mean business here. Go in, get the most important deal done first, then move on. We can’t stop here. If Omar Minaya is smart, he’ll announce the signing or acquisition of a set-up man or at least another established reliever soon after K-Rod is [hopefully] signed.

One more thing, I think that people will eventually look back at this deal as a major indicator of how the economic downturn has affected the sports industry. The fact that K-Rod jumped on this deal so quickily says a lot. If I’m Brian Fuentes or Kerry Wood, I’m a little worried right now.